|
|
Staying home on Black and Blue Friday"I'm done with my Christmas shopping." This one sentence can instantly make you a pariah at the family Thanksgiving table. I should know. You see, I'm one of "those" people. I'm the person who shops for her family all year for Christmas, and then stores the gifts in a specific closet until the season rolls around. I'm the one who goes to the store with an exact list of gift ideas. I'm the one who plans purchases months in advance. It's not that I'm particularly a "together" person--friends and family will testify to my flakiness. And, it's not that I get some thrill out of having my shopping done, wrapped and shipped by the first week of December. No, I have only one simple reason for this phenomenon. I hate crowds. I really detest crammed parking lots, and long lines, and shopping cart demo derbies in packed aisles. I find no joy in waiting until the last minute to buy someone a gift. I'd rather spend that time at home, with a decorated tree and a cup of hot cider watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for the 45th time. This is why I don't do the "Black Friday" sales. I never saw the point in braving the chaos all to save a few bucks on already overpriced possessions. Up until last year, I'd never taken off the Friday after Thanksgiving to participate in the cultural frenzy of Black Friday. I'm in journalism, folks, and there is no such thing as a holiday where the news is concerned. So, instead of navigating crowded malls and shopping centers on that day, I was secure and cozy in my cubicle, wrapping up another week at the paper. But last year, I finally took the plunge and requested the Friday off from work. I had my eye on a stove at a big chain store--and I couldn't pass up the Black Friday sale price. I'll never again make that mistake. First, I'm a rookie at this Black Friday chaos. I thought all I had to do was just show up at the store, find a salesperson and plunk down my cash for the item I wanted. In hindsight, I may have been too optimistic. At the very least, I should have stretched in the parking lot so I didn't pull a hamstring. Plain and simple, the day was crazy. I saw groups of women in matching T-shirts, with two-way radios using guerrilla war tactics in the lawn and garden department to track down a sale on a cordless drill. In housewares, I saw a middle-aged man bully a young salesclerk into letting him have the last sale priced kitchen mixer. Near the toy section, I nearly got ran over by a roving gang of grannies on a mission to buy stuffed reindeers for their grandchildren. The carnage was unbelievable. It was neighbor against neighbor, mother against daughter, and friend against friend. It was a miracle someone didn't lose an appendage. In that atmosphere, though, you find yourself joining in the mob mentality. You'll pick up anything and put it in the cart as long as you see a "SALE!" sign above it. I found myself grabbing camping equipment as I passed the outdoors section--and I don't even camp. Luckily, I snapped out of my fugue in time to stop myself from buying a tent and sleeping bag combination on sale. I eventually fought my way through the hordes to the appliances section, and I did wind up buying a stove that day. It wasn't the one advertised--those had sold out in three minutes, I was told by a dazed stock boy. Still, I hadn't parked in the Outer Mongolia section of the mall parking lot, trekked through snow and slush, bulldozed my way through crowds and stood in line only to turn back and go home with an empty car. Will I ever brave another Black Friday? Probably not. Frankly, there isn't a sale big enough to entice me to deal with the hassle. No, I'll keep sticking to my strategy of shopping the whole year long, and planning and plotting my gifts to friends and family. That way, when Black Friday rolls around, I can proudly announce, "I'm done with my Christmas shopping." Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. 12/1/08 Date: 11/24/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
